When Arlington Heights resident Dan Alberti opened Granato`s Pizza in Buffalo Grove nearly two years ago, it was the continuation of a family heritage.
The son of immigrants from Naples, Italy, his family had a bakery on Taylor Street, which led to the original Granato`s Pizza, founded in 1917. According to Alberti, his mother and grandfather, Marie Alberti and Camillo Granato, are often credited with the introduction of pizza to Chicago.
About six years ago, Alberti, who at the time was running a television and appliance business, says he began having dreams, seeing the original bright red Granato`s sign. A few months later he began awakening to hearing himself talk in his sleep, saying things like ”fresh mozzarella,” and ”use fresh Romano cheese, not Parmesan.”
”It had to be my Uncle Tom or my mother; there was no other way I could know these things. They were from the original recipe and no one ever told them to me,” he said.
Compelled by his dreams to research his family history, he worked at recreating the family recipe and finding sources for the natural ingredients used in the original pizza. About two years ago, he found his location in The Plaza Center in Buffalo Grove.
Although the original family recipe used wood stoves, Alberti adapted modern equipment, working with the oven manufacturer to design his own oven. The major difference in Alberti`s recipe, however, is his insistence in using all natural ingredients, including fresh, 90-percent sodium-free mozzarella cheese shipped from New York and freshly hand-trimmed, deboned, and seasoned pork butt.
And tasty it is. The large vegetarian pizza, which runs $13.75, contains mushrooms, green peppers, onions, spinach and olives. Grampa Granato`s Special, with spinach, fresh tomato, and bacon, is $12.10 for a large. The pizza bread, at $3 for 24 inches, is also simply heavenly, light on the sauce but heavy on flavor.
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Granato`s, 706 S. Buffalo Grove Rd., Buffalo Grove, is open 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday; from 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; closed Monday. Deliveries are available from 5 to 9 p.m. for $1.50. Phone 708-537-4622.